Kosovo issue nothing to do with religion: Envoy

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 07/09/2007 11:07 AM

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When Zoran Kazazovic -- a career diplomat -- came to Indonesia two and half years ago, his position was ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro. But with its separation from Serbia on June 3, 2006, Montenegro was removed from Kazazovic's designation.

The story does not end there. The superpowers of the world -- the U.S. and the 27-member European Union (EU) -- now want to take Kosovo, one of the poorest regions in Europe, away from Serbia and create a new country.

""There is no comparison between Montenegro and Kosovo. Montenegro was a republic, where as Kosovo has never been a republic. It is an integral part of Serbia. The people of Montenegro decided to separate from Serbia. We don't have any problem with that,"" Kazazovic told The Jakarta Post in an exclusive interview recently at his office in Jakarta.

Until the collapse of the Soviet empire and the Berlin Wall, Serbia was the mainstay of the mighty former Yugoslav federation. By 1992, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina became independent from Yugoslavia, and last year Montenegro joined them.

When asked about his feelings as a Serb toward Kosovo's independence plan, Kazazovic said he was completely against the division of Serbia.

""I feel sad (about the present situation). Why should foreign countries make the decision to divide our country?"" Kazazovic said emotionally.

Kosovo, a province which was recognized under United Nations Resolution No. 1244 as part of Serbia, is home to nearly two million Muslim Kosovar Albanians. Furthermore, Kosovo has been the cradle of Serbian culture since medieval times.

""We have strong spiritual links with Kosovo. There are over 1,500 churches and monasteries, some of which were built in the 14th century and are now under UNESCO protection,"" Kazazovic said.

According to Kazazovic, Kosovo is not a new problem.

""It (the Kosovo problem) has been going on for hundreds of years,"" he said, adding many people think the problem is a religious one.

""Actually, the Kosovo conflict is an ethnic one and has nothing to do with religion. It's not a conflict between Christians and Muslims.""

But religion has become a major victim of the Kosovo conflict as there were no heroes from either Serb or Kosovar Albanian sides.

Before the NATO bombings in 1999, around 10,000 ethnic Albanians, mostly Muslims, were killed and several mosques were destroyed by Serbs in Kosovo. After the bombing, Albanians killed around 2,000 people and destroy several churches.

""After the NATO takeover of Kosovo in 1999, more than 220,000 Serbs were expelled from Kosovo. In Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, there were 100,000 Serbs prior to 1999. Now there are less than 100. Over 150 churches and monasteries were destroyed by Albanians. This happened directly in front of the international community.""

Serbia, Kazazovic said, will never compromise on Kosovo. ""We are absolutely opposed to the separation of Kosovo from Serbia. It is something nobody in Serbia can accept,"" he said.

Instead, Serbia, a landlocked country in Central and Southeastern Europe, has offered Kosovo greater autonomy.

""We have offered to Kosovo the highest possible autonomy. It will be internationally guaranteed autonomy with some conditions, for example, Kosovo should not become a member of the UN. We will continue controlling foreign policy matters. There should be a demilitarization of Kosovo.

""We want the international community to guarantee the protection of remaining Serbs in Kosovo,"" Kazazovic said.

But Kosovar Albanians have rejected the Serbian offer and demanded total independence, as proposed in the Martti Ahtisaari plan. Athisaari, the former president of Finland who successfully negotiated the Aceh peace deal, is the UN envoy to Kosovo who recommended Kosovo become independent.

The Serbian ambassador attacked Athisaari's plan.

""Athisaari clearly went out of his mandate. His mandate was to mediate with Serbs and Kosovar Albanians to find a solution to the Kosovo issue. But he has proposed to divide Serbia, which was not his mandate.""

Kazazovic said Serbia's doors for negotiations were not closed.

""We will defend our territorial integrity. At the same time we are ready to negotiate with Kosovar Albanians to find a peaceful solution.""

It is ironic that the EU and the U.S. are asking the UN Security Council to dismember a sovereign UN member state and one of the founding members of the UN. If the UN allows Serbia's division, then what is the use of one of the most cherished principles of international law: The territorial integrity of states?

This is why Russia, a close ally of Serbia, bluntly opposed Kosovo's independence and may reject the UN Security Council resolution put forward by the U.S. and EU states.

It's a big dilemma for many countries, including Indonesia -home to the world's largest Muslim population - to take a decision on Kosovo independence.

""We know Indonesia is fully aware of the situation in Kosovo. I hope Indonesia, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, will take a stance in line with its principles and policies on international law and the UN,"" Kazazovic said.

If Kosovo becomes independent without the consent of Serbia, it will set a bad precedent in international relations on one side and sow the seeds of future instability and repeat conflicts in the Balkans. It will also lead to the rise of xenophobic nationalism among Serbs, as well as push ethnic Albanians living in Macedonia to demand independence like in Kosovo.

On the contrary, Kosovar Albanians, who suffered a lot under Serbian rule, will unilaterally declare independence if Russia vetoes the resolution. This may also lead to violence. That's why the EU warned Kosovo recently against any unilateral moves for independence.

""Unilateral action or other irresponsible behavior from Kosovo would take away all the goodwill that you have received,"" EU Kosovo envoy Stefan Lehne said in Pristina recently.

In the meantime, perhaps the status quo will be more comfortable until both parties reach a negotiated settlement.

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